Enviro News Asia, Bandar Lampung — The Financial Services Authority (OJK) and the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) have agreed to enhance strategic cooperation to foster policy development, product innovation, data exchange, expert resource provision, and human resource capacity building in both the financial services and forestry sectors.
This collaboration focuses particularly on promoting the economic potential of carbon value in Indonesia’s social forestry areas.
On August 29, 2025, in Bandar Lampung, the OJK Chairman Mahendra Siregar and Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize this partnership. The event marked the kickoff of efforts to recognize and develop the economic potential of carbon value within social forestry regions.
Mahendra emphasized the importance of optimizing the economic value of carbon from forestry, particularly in sustaining social forestry’s environmental and economic benefits.
He highlighted that the MoU includes a specific clause related to increasing financial literacy and education to improve financial access and sustainable forestry financing, especially relevant to Lampung’s social forestry efforts.
Meanwhile, Raja Antoni expressed hope that the agreement would facilitate easier access to capital for forest farmers managing social forestry areas, enabling their economic conditions to improve.
He stressed that among eight cooperation areas, enabling social forestry farmers to access banking and other financial sectors remained the key focus, with OJK’s involvement expected to draw more attention from banks and private financial institutions.
Present at the signing was Lampung’s Deputy Governor Jihan Nurlela. The MoU is an update of a previous cooperation between OJK and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, adjusted following Presidential Regulation No. 139 of 2024, which separates forestry duties from environmental responsibilities.
As part of the collaboration activities, the delegation conducted a site visit to the Social Forestry area at Wan Abdul Rachman People’s Forest Park (Tahura) in Pesawaran Regency.
Key figures including Mahendra Siregar, forestry officials, OJK financial regulators, and regional representatives engaged directly with members of the Social Forestry Business Group (KUPS), reviewing outstanding local forestry commodities.
Additionally, a National Seminar was held featuring speakers from OJK, the Ministry of Forestry, Lampung provincial government, and KUPS representatives.
The seminar aimed to promote the economic potential of carbon value development in social forestry areas and to raise public awareness that carbon commodity utilization can complement existing forestry commodity management.
Through this renewed MoU, OJK and Kemenhut reaffirm their commitment to advancing sustainable forestry development supported by the financial services sector.
The initiative to develop the economic potential of carbon value in social forestry regions aspires to create a green, inclusive financial ecosystem that enhances community welfare while preserving the environment. (*)
